We draw the K-band luminosity functions (CLFs) of young massive clusters (YMCs) hosted by 34 SUNBIRD targets to evaluate the impact of the host galaxy environment on their YMC properties. The depth and high resolution of the NIR images (PSF ∼ 0.1”) allow us to test whether CLF power-law slopes (α) of high star-forming galaxies are similar to those of gas-poor low star formation rate (SFR) galaxies. We found that α ranges between 1.53 and 2.41 with a median value of 1.87 ± 0.23. We also performed correlation searches between α and the host global properties and noticed that α decreases with an increasing SFR and SFR density. On sub-galactic scales, CLF slopes of cluster-rich galaxies differ by ∼0.5. Our NIR CLF analyses suggest that the extreme environment of high SFR galaxies such as the SUNBIRD sample is likely to affect the formation mechanisms of YMCs and hence to govern the ongoing small-scale SF processes of the host galaxy.

Presented here, is a summary of discussions at African Astronomical Society (AfAS) Science Business Meeting, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 10-11 October 2019. This summary was deliberated with delegates of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) Symposium 356, during a lunch session of the meeting.

We use low-frequency GMRT observations and 1.4 GHz VLA archival data to study the radio spectrum of a dying radio galaxy discovered in the field of ELAIS-N1. With a linear size of ˜ 100 kpc at a redshift z ˜ 0.33, the diffuse source J1615+5452 exhibits a steep spectral index and a convex radio spectrum. Its radio morphology also seems to lack compact features such as a nuclear core, relativistic jets and hotspots. We record a spectral curvature Δα ≍ -1 and a synchrotron age estimated between 34 - 70 Myr. These characteristics suggest that J1615+5452 is most likely a remnant radio AGN that has spent more than half of its total lifetime in the quiescence phase. The detection of such an elusive source is important since it represents the final phase in the evolution of a radio galaxy unless the nuclear core gets replenished with fresh particles and undergoes a restarting activity.

Because of their young ages and compact densities, young massive star clusters (YMCs) are widely considered as potential proto-globular clusters. They are ubiquitous in environments with ongoing star formation activity such as interacting luminous infrared galaxies. To determine the galactic environmental effects on the star cluster formation and evolution, we study the YMC population of Arp 299 (NGC 3690E/NGC 3690W) using data taken with the HST WFC3/UVIS camera. By fitting the multiband photometry with the Yggdrasil models, we derive the star cluster masses, ages and extinction. While the cluster mass-galactocentric radius relation of NGC 3690E indicates that there could be an influence of the gas density distribution on the cluster formation, the age distribution of the western component suggests that YMCs in that galaxy endure stronger disruption mechanisms. With a cluster formation efficiency of 19 percent, star formation happening in bound clusters in Arp 299 is 3–5 times higher than that of a typical normal spiral.

During its XXXth General Assembly, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) welcomed the island of Madagascar, under the Malagasy Astronomy & Space Science (MASS), as one of its new National Members. Founded in 2016, MASS is a non-profit association, a community of young professional astronomers and graduate students from Madagascar. As various organizational structures are gradually being established towards the development of Astronomy & Astrophysics in the country, the IAU has played a vital role and is still actively involved in achieving such ambitious goals.

Section 3 of the FM14 focus on the The IAU National Outreach Contacts (NOC) Network. This paper also contains supplementary materials that point to poster presentations that can be found online.

Super star clusters (SSCs) represent the youngest and most massive form of known gravitationally bound star clusters in the Universe. They are born abundantly in environments that trigger strong and violent star formation. We investigate the properties of these massive SSCs in a sample of 42 nearby starbursts and luminous infrared galaxies. The targets form the sample of the SUperNovae and starBursts in the InfraReD (SUNBIRD) survey that were imaged using near-infrared (NIR) K-band adaptive optics mounted on the Gemini/NIRI and the VLT/NaCo instruments. Results from i) the fitted power-laws to the SSC K-band luminosity functions, ii) the NIR brightest star cluster magnitude − star formation rate (SFR) relation and iii) the star cluster age and mass distributions have shown the importance of studying SSC host galaxies with high SFR levels to determine the role of the galactic environments in the star cluster formation, evolution and disruption mechanisms.

Young and massive super star clusters (SSCs) are found whenever very active star formation is going on, such as that in interacting Luminous Infrared Galaxies (LIRGs). From a deep NIR adaptive optics imaging survey, we present thus far the first K-band SSC luminosity functions (LFs) in these types of galaxies, and also a relation between the brightest SSC and the global SFR of the galaxy. Based on the derived LFs, one can constrain the cluster initial mass function (CIMF) and study the formation and evolution of SSCs. Our preliminary results are in disagreement with theoretical expectations which suggest that the SSC LF should be well fitted by a single power-law with an index of −2. We find power-law indexes of ~−1.5, shallower than the expected ones. Taken at face value, our results appear to support the concept that the CIMF is mass-dependent, not universal, which will be studied in more detail by mass-modelling of the SSCs. The data-set will also allow us to estimate the fraction of total star formation originating in the SSCs over a range of galaxy types.